Why Overseas Players are Flocking to the WNBA + Too Many Head Injuries

Summary

Podcast Summary: No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
Episode: Why Overseas Players are Flocking to the WNBA + Too Many Head Injuries
Release Date: June 6, 2025

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Introduction and Episode Overview

In this episode of No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show, hosts Zena Keita, Chantel Jennings, Sabreena Merchant, and Ben Pickman delve into two critical topics shaping the WNBA in 2025: the increasing influx of overseas players into the league and the rising concerns over head and face injuries among players. The discussion intertwines these themes with insights into the ongoing Commissioner's Cup, player movements, and the broader implications for both the WNBA and international basketball leagues.

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1. The Commissioner's Cup: Structure and Significance

Zena Caida kicks off the conversation by highlighting the commencement of the Commissioner's Cup, an in-season tournament distinct to the WNBA. This competition features:

• Format: Eastern Conference teams play against each other, while Western Conference teams face off within their conference. The top teams from each conference then compete in the championship game held on July 1st.

• Significance: The Cup not only adds a layer of competition but also offers financial incentives, with a $500,000 prize pool for the winning team. This prize is particularly impactful given the average WNBA player salary of $70,000 to $80,000.

Notable Quote:
Sabrina Merchant ([03:41]) explained, “There's a $500,000 prize pool for the winning team, which if you think about splitting that 11 to 12 ways, it's a good chunk of change for players.”

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2. Player Injuries: Rising Concerns Over Head and Face Injuries

A significant portion of the episode addresses the troubling rise in head and face injuries within the WNBA:

• Recent Incidents:

  • Paige Becker of Dallas suffered a concussion ([08:00]) after a collision in a game against the Chicago Sky and has been out for at least two games.
  • Rekia Jackson of Tip Hayes and Nia Coffey have also encountered similar injuries, with Jewel Lloyd opting to wear a mask for protection.

• Statistics: According to Lucas Seehofer from the WNBA database, there have been 15 head and face injuries in 2023, 20 in 2024, and nine already in the first month of 2025.

• Discussion Points:

  • The WNBA's concussion protocol varies by team, lacking a standardized league-wide approach.
  • The physicality of the league is under scrutiny, raising questions about player safety and league policies.

Notable Quote:
Zena Caida ([09:05]) remarked, “It definitely seems like they're quite a bit… head injuries are the kind of thing where you just don't want to rush anything at all.”

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3. Team Movements and Season Performance

The hosts analyze the early-season performances and roster changes affecting team dynamics:

• Atlanta Dream:

  • Bree Jones has been a standout performer, averaging +10.1 net rating alongside Alicia Gray ([11:39]). Her adaptability within coach Carl Smitsco's system has been pivotal.

• Phoenix Mercury:

  • Satou Sabally is excelling with an average of 20.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game ([13:42]). Her versatility is enhancing Phoenix's "positionless" playstyle, allowing her to execute various roles effectively.

• Las Vegas Aces:

  • Jewel Lloyd has shown promise defensively with a +23 on/off rating despite lower offensive statistics ([16:48]).

Notable Quote:
Sabrina Merchant ([13:42]) highlighted, “Satou Sabally has had a really interesting start to the season… she’s literally doing just a little bit of everything on the court.”

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4. Influx of European Players into the WNBA

A central theme of the episode is the notable increase in European players joining the WNBA:

• Growth Statistics:

  • The number of WNBA players born outside the U.S. has grown from 25 two years ago to 33 at the start of the 2025 season.

• Golden State Valkyries:

  • More than half of their roster consists of international players, underscoring a strategic emphasis on global talent.

• Reasons for the Influx:

  • Enhanced Global Presence: The WNBA's growing brand and visibility attract international talent.
  • Improved Salaries: Prospects of higher earnings make the WNBA a more appealing option.
  • Competitive Environment: Playing alongside top-tier talent in the WNBA offers valuable experience and development opportunities.

Notable Quote:
Ben Pickman ([24:12]) explained, “The global presence of the WNBA has just grown… making the league more appealing than it has ever been in the past.”

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5. Impact on International Leagues and Roster Dynamics

The migration of European players to the WNBA has cascading effects on international basketball:

• National Team Commitments:

  • Some players prioritize WNBA commitments over national team competitions, affecting their home countries' performance in tournaments like EuroBasket.

• Roster Spot Implications:

  • The surge in WNBA-bound international players intensifies competition for limited roster spots, often sidelining recently drafted NCAA players. Teams are increasingly opting for seasoned international veterans over rookies, prioritizing immediate competitive gains.

Notable Quote:
Sabrina Merchant ([35:13]) stated, “There's a much bigger pool of players who want to play in the WNBA… making it even harder for college players directly out of the NCAA to stick around.”

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6. Scheduling Conflicts with International Competitions

Looking ahead, the hosts discuss potential challenges arising from overlapping schedules between the WNBA and international tournaments:

• 2026 World Cup:

  • Scheduled during the WNBA playoffs, posing a conflict where players must choose between representing their national teams and participating in critical postseason games.

• Historical Adjustments:

  • In 2022, the WNBA adjusted its season end to accommodate the World Cup. However, with the schedule expansion to 44 games, coordinating future overlaps remains a pressing issue.

• Potential Solutions:

  • Introducing a WNBA hiatus before playoffs to allow player participation in international tournaments.
  • Collective bargaining to prioritize event schedules and player commitments.

Notable Quote:
Ben Pickman ([31:34]) pondered, “How can you maneuver the schedule to make it all work… What does that mean for player participation?”

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7. Future Outlook and Developmental Considerations

The episode concludes with reflections on the symbiotic relationship between the WNBA and international leagues:

• Developmental Impact:

  • Traditional overseas play has served as a developmental platform for both international and American players, enhancing their skills for WNBA competition.

• Quality Concerns:

  • With fewer American players going overseas, there’s apprehension about the potential stagnation of international leagues and the overall quality of global basketball.

• Ongoing Evolution:

  • The WNBA and international bodies like FIBA are adapting to the changing dynamics, aiming to balance player development, league growth, and international competition schedules.

Notable Quote:
Zena Caida ([40:25]) mused, “It's forcing everyone to learn how to pronounce things in French and stuff… just gonna continue to elevate the product.”

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Conclusion and Interactive Segment

The hosts wrap up the episode by engaging in a light-hearted game, “Something in Common,” enhancing listener engagement and showcasing the camaraderie among the hosts. They also preview upcoming content, including a focus on NCAA offseason activities, promising continued in-depth coverage of women's basketball.

Final Thoughts:
The episode underscores a transformative period for the WNBA, marked by international talent infusion and increasing player health concerns. These dynamics are reshaping team strategies, league policies, and the broader landscape of women's basketball globally.

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Key Takeaways:

• Commissioner's Cup adds competitive depth and financial incentives within the regular season.
• Rising head and face injuries highlight the need for standardized concussion protocols and enhanced player safety measures.
• The influx of European players is revitalizing the WNBA but challenging roster structures and impacting international competitions.
• Scheduling conflicts between the WNBA and international tournaments like the World Cup necessitate strategic adjustments to accommodate player commitments.
• The evolving relationship between the WNBA and international leagues is pivotal for the future development and global standing of women's basketball.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Sabrina Merchant ([03:41]): “There's a $500,000 prize pool for the winning team, which if you think about splitting that 11 to 12 ways, it's a good chunk of change for players.”

• Zena Caida ([09:05]): “It definitely seems like they're quite a bit… head injuries are the kind of thing where you just don't want to rush anything at all.”

• Sabrina Merchant ([13:42]): “Satou Sabally has had a really interesting start to the season… she’s literally doing just a little bit of everything on the court.”

• Ben Pickman ([24:12]): “The global presence of the WNBA has just grown… making the league more appealing than it has ever been in the past.”

• Sabrina Merchant ([35:13]): “There's a much bigger pool of players who want to play in the WNBA… making it even harder for college players directly out of the NCAA to stick around.”

• Ben Pickman ([31:34]): “How can you maneuver the schedule to make it all work… What does that mean for player participation?”

• Zena Caida ([40:25]): “It's forcing everyone to learn how to pronounce things in French and stuff… just gonna continue to elevate the product.”

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This episode provides a comprehensive look into the evolving dynamics of the WNBA, offering listeners insightful analysis and anticipating future trends in women's basketball.

Transcript

[Zena Caida]

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[Ben Pickman]

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[Ben Pickman]

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[Chantelle Jennings]

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[Zena Caida]

Hello everyone and welcome to no Off Season presented by Amazon Business. I'm Zena Caida.

[Sabrina Merchant]

I'm Sabrina Merchant.

[Ben Pickman]

And I'm Ben Pickman and today on.

[Zena Caida]

The show, we're taking a look at how some familiar faces are faring in new places in the WNBA specifically, and then perhaps some less familiar faces who are becoming more recognizable. We also got our resident European expert, Ben Pickman here to talk about European players in the W and the influx of it and what it all means for the league, the players, and the future of the sport. And finally, we are finally playing this game that Ben has been behind the scenes getting us ready for. And we have just been ready to go. So stay tuned for that. All right, you know, it's time we gotta check around the news around the league. What's going on? Top of mind, of course, the Commissioner's cup is officially underway. You know, you've seen the black and white balls. Yes. That means the Commissioner's cup is happening. What is the Commissioner's cup, you ask? I heard you. I did. Good question. Sabrina, you want to fill us in on what this is exactly when it started and why does it exist in the first place?

[Ben Pickman]

Right.

[Sabrina Merchant]

So the Commissioner's cup is the WNBA's annual in season tournament. Fifth year in a row that it has happened. We've had four different champions thus far. The Seattle Storm, Las Vegas Aces, New York Liberty, and Minnesota Lynx. Spoiler alert. I don't think we're going to get a fifth, but it could happen. Okay, the Commissioner's Cup. Essentially, the Eastern Conference teams play amongst each other. Everyone gets one game against every other east team. Every west team gets one game against every other west team. We tabulate those standings at the end of two weeks, the top team in the east and the top team in the west play each other in the championship game on July 1. So as Zena mentioned, you noticed all of the games have that slightly different colored ball. If you look on the WNBA app, you'll see that trophy cup next to these games over the next two weeks. That's what that means. It's the Commissioner's Cup. And the really fun thing about the Commissioner's cup for the players themselves is that there's a lot of money at stake. There is a $500,000 prize pool for the winning team, which if you think about splitting that 11 to 12 ways, it's a good chunk of change for people, especially the ones who are making 70 to 80 thousand dollars this year.

[Zena Caida]

You know, it sounds very familiar to something that used to be called the in season tournament and then changed to the NBA Cup. Interesting, interesting. I'm looking at the Commissioner's cup standings right now. Only a Few teams that are left undefeated, some of them have only played one game as of the time that we're recording. But New York, Indiana, Minnesota, Las Vegas, the funny thing is that you could lose a ton of games that impact your regular season as well, but win the cups with the trophy beside them and find your way to the Commissioners Cup. So that's exciting at least. But Ben, how are teams looking? What's your prediction for all how it might all shake out at the end of July?

[Ben Pickman]

Well, it's first funny that you mentioned the NBA comparison against Xena because we should say that the WNBA was actually kind of the testing ground for the NBA when they were coming up with their in season tournament. The WNBA has been doing it longer and kind of worked out some of the kinks and scheduling format before the NBA did. Though we should say the NBA has a slightly different format because that league is so much bigger. But I digress to say in terms of, you know, teams to watch, I mean it's still the same teams we've been talking about. Like I think Sabrina teased it. Like I think it's still fair to expect New York and Minnesota to be in the Commissioners Cup Final here though if we're going to circle like one big Commissioners cup game in particular. June 17, New York hosts Atlanta for the first time this season. And you know, those two teams look like the best two teams in the Eastern Conference, at least so far. So that is certainly a game to watch. One other thing to watch kind of about the Commissioners cup and these series of games that are going on, point differential, you know, is important in distinguishing like potential tiebreakers as it relates to Commissioners cup standings. And so that's why during New York's big like I want to say 48 point blowout against the Connecticut sun, like there were a ton of people who were saying, well, why is Brianna Stewart in the game like in the fourth quarter? John Quail Jones I'm not saying that they needed to be in the game, but one potential explanation could have been that point total did matter for that game or could matter down the road. So that is another wrinkle. Sabrina said, I like New York still to win the Commissioner's cup, though a Minnesota New York Commissioner's cup rematch could be a great one too.

[Sabrina Merchant]

And a cool thing about the Commissioner's cup just, you know, another detail is that they all do count as regular season games. So even if you have a team that has started.04 in Commissioners cup play, they still need to play hard for the remainder of those games. Because they count towards the regular season standings and teams that aren't competing for the Commissioners cup necessarily still trying to make the playoffs. So all these games are important for that purpose. And just to add on to big day on June 17th in terms of Commissioners Cup, Minnesota hosts Las Vegas that day, and those are both of the undefeated teams in the Western Conference. So that could also be pretty decisive in terms of deciding the west representative for the Commissioners Cup Final.

[Zena Caida]

There you go, Ben. I think the question on New York's game was why was Sabrina Unescu so excited about that challenge call? And it's because it matters. It's Commissioner's cup time. Okay, well, now let's check in on some news that is out of Dallas we didn't get to talk about earlier this week. Last Friday, in a game against Chicago Sky, Paige Becker suffered what we now know to be a concussion, and she's been out on protocol for the last two games. Sabrina, what exactly happened with Paige in that game last week? Dallas doesn't have point guards. They're literally like, trying to figure it out. It was tough watching them against Seattle the other day. What do we know in terms of updates?

[Sabrina Merchant]

Yeah, so Paige appeared to suffer a hit while she was on the perimeter. I think she just sort of knocked heads or her head sort of knocked into the arm of a Chicago sky defender. I believe it was Courtney Vandersloot. But she ended up playing the remainder of that game against Chicago, but then afterwards was diagnosed with a concussion. It's a minimum of two games that she had to miss, and she's been reevaluated since. I don't think Dallas is expecting her back for their next game, so it could be a longer recovery time. As far as I understand, the WNBA's concussion protocol is not necessarily like super standardized league wide. It sort of depends on the team doctors with each individual franchise. And, you know, head injuries are the kind of thing where you just don't want to rush anything at all, even if you are still missing Ty Harris and have no quality point guards on your WNBA roster. But, yeah, that's the situation with Paige out in Dallas.

[Zena Caida]

There you go. And I feel like I'm thinking about Paige. I'm thinking over here, you know, East Bay Tip Hayes dealing with a face injury, and we'll be out. They haven't said exactly the time, but she's been out indeterminately. And I'm just like, what's going on with all these head and face injuries happening in the league so far this year? Like, give me more.

[Sabrina Merchant]

I wish I had a reason for why there were all these head and face injuries, but it definitely seems like they're quite a bit Lucas Seehofer at the Next tracks these injuries for WNBA database and according to him there were 15 such injuries in 2023 and then 20 in 2024. And we're already at nine through one month in 2025. You mentioned Paige Becker's Rekia Jackson had a concussion earlier at Tip Hayes. Obviously Nia Coffey's been sporting something on her above her eye, I think, like a hit that she suffered. Jewel Lloyd had a mask earlier in the season, so it does feel awfully prevalent. Again, I exactly figure out why. I don't think players are necessarily trying to hit each other in the face. It's just sort of happening. But you know, it potentially brings into conversation, like a larger discussion about just how physical the WNBA is. And this is a league where you got to be really, really tough to play through. Hopefully not this tough. Nobody wants head injuries, but it is a very, very physical league.

[Zena Caida]

Well, you know, there's so many pretty mugs all around the WNBA and you just got to really protect the product. That's what I'm worried about. Most importantly, before we move into our big topic for today, let's check in quickly about some other injured, including Caitlin Clark, who's been out with a left quad injury since late May. She talked to the media a little while ago and we're recording this on Thursday. Ben, did we learn anything new here?

[Ben Pickman]

Right.

As you said, Xena, Caitlin Clark addressed reporters for the first time since she had been ruled out with that quad injury a few weeks back. She did that on Thursday afternoon. She basically said that she's going to be reevaluated this weekend. She's still going to miss Indiana's upcoming game on Saturday against Chicago, but Clark didn't rule out possibly returning for their game at Atlanta on Tuesday. Now what's notable about that game in terms of the schedule Indiana plays on Tuesday versus the Dream. They then don't play again till Saturday. So if she does end up missing that game, that is basically a full other week of rest. So we shall see. She made it clear she's not going to rush her way back. It's not worth it considering it's still an early season game. But you know, Caitlin Clark may be back as soon as Tuesday, at least for her.

[Zena Caida]

Okay, well, thank you for that update. Let's keep it flowing into our first big topic today. There's a lot of movement in the off season, so many All Star veterans leaving teams deciding to start new chapters in their careers with different franchises. So I want to know now that we're a few weeks into the 2025 season, we are not brand new. We're not speculating anymore. We're seeing what is happening out on the court. Gotta know from our crew who is catching your eye in the biggest way. Who's been the most impressive, who's been the most best fit, who's made the biggest splash. Ben, let's start with you.

[Ben Pickman]

You know, the headliner from the Dreams off season was certainly, I think, Brittney Griner signing with the Atlanta Dream this year. And we've written and talked a bunch about that. But I think the player who's made the biggest impact so far, at least in terms of encore fit, has been Bree Jones, who you know in her own right, is an All Star center. Former All W defensive team member like Bri Jones has fit in pretty perfectly alongside Alicia Gray, who we should also say was just named both Eastern Conference Player of the week and also Eastern Conference Player of the month. But next to Gray and Howard, I think she's + 10.1. Bri Jones is, when playing next to Howard, + 7 1/2 net rating per 100 possessions. When playing next to Alicia Gray, I think her + 9.7 net rating is might be the very best of like all players on new teams this year, veteran players who are playing at least like 25, 30 minutes per game. The stat I've turned to though, more than anything else in terms of fit in this new system is Bree Jones. Like she started her season with four straight double doubles. She had never had more than four double doubles in a season before. You know the impact she is making. Like, people know what to expect from her around the basket, how efficient she can be. But just as a rebounder, like, that's been one very noticeable part of her game. It's just like hauling in boards in a way that she didn't when she was with the Connecticut sun, kind of developing and changing role after role. She's fit in really, really nicely in Carl Smesco's system. She's a willing passer when she needs to play high, low, like actions. With Brittney Griner, she screens and rolls very well. Right now it just looks pretty comfortable for Bree Jones, who is just like fitting in and I think from for all intents and purposes, like really enjoying her time so far with the Atlanta Dream.

[Zena Caida]

Oh, I love that. And I think that Bri Jones was Someone that after she came back from her ankle injuries like, I think people have forgotten just how good of a passer she is, just how high IQ of a player she is. But this is what Dejuana Bonner and Alyssa Thomas and Dijonay Carrington, everyone in Connecticut always spoke so highly of about Bree Jones. So it makes so much sense that she would just seamlessly fit into with her new team. And let's just be real, Atlanta looks good. Atlanta looks great. Sabrina, who's your number one?

[Sabrina Merchant]

Yeah, well, speaking of another team that added two all star bigs during the off season, Phoenix, where Satu Sablee has had a really interesting start to the season, plus 11.9 at Reading when she's on the court little bit higher than Brue Jones, for what it's worth. But the thing with Phoenix is I feel like the word positionless gets thrown around a lot and a little too much for my taste. But in Phoenix, it really does feel like everyone's doing a little bit of everything. And you see that with Satu, like all of her play types, post ups, transition, pick and roll, ball handler, pick and roll, roll, man, like isos, all those are somewhere between 10 and 15% of her possessions. Like she's literally doing just a little bit of everything on the court, depending on who's playing next to her, whether Phoenix has a lot of shooters on the court or whether it's Kelani Brown who needs the a little bit more, or whether, you know, Satu's bringing the ball up and running the break like it really is just. I mean, she has the nickname the Unicorn and it feels like it's coming to fruition this season just in terms of the way Nate Tibbets and the Phoenix coaching staff are putting her to use. So it's been really fun to just watch her sort of explore the studio space, for lack of a better word. You know, like just trying some things out and it's working. You know, she's averaging 20.5 points, career best 8.1 rebounds. She hasn't even been hitting her threes yet. You know, she's a career like 33% three point shooter and she's about 23% to start the season. So when those start going in, watch out. But it's, it's just been really cool to watch her just get to try some new things out and like extend what she is as a player already.

[Zena Caida]

I love this Satu Sable, another player coming off injury. Even coming back to Dallas after the Olympics, you could see she still had to work through some things, she was still trying to get back to her agility, her athleticism, and the ways that she explodes off the ball, on the ball, gets to the rack. And now it's like all. What's the saying? No holds bar. I think that's the saying. But it's just like she is going. And as you mentioned, especially with Alyssa Thomas off the floor, all eyes are on her, but she's saying I can shoulder that burden and I can get to my spots. And she's playing super physical and so great choice. I feel bad because, you know, standouts mostly is used positively. I'm thinking about my standout in not a necessarily negative way, but just like maybe standing out in the way that I'm still looking for more. And that for me, that's why my choice is Jewel Lloyd. Looking at Jewel Lloyd's numbers this year, she's at some pretty career lows so far in some aspects. Her two point percentage so far through her think six games or four. So 15% from the floor, her free throw rate in those games, just 17%. That's the lowest she's ever had in her career. Like, she's not getting to the line as much as she used to, but that's because of all of the talent around her that has the opportunity to score and it's not her main job to have to do that like it was in Seattle. And so I feel like there's still elements of her game that can be unlocked as Las Vegas is still trying to figure out how to utilize her. But yeah, right now only averaging 10 points per game. But her on, off, plus, minus, plus 23 in these few games in Las Vegas. So it does show that she's doing other things out on the court in terms of being able to play defense, keep up with the defense that, you know, the Aces want to run and have with their starting group. But yeah, I think there's still more to be seen from Jewel Lloyd. What are your thoughts that?

[Sabrina Merchant]

The 15% shocked me. Like, I, I don't know if you saw my eyes like pop out of my head when you. That that's, that's a number.

[Zena Caida]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's. I mean last year 40%, year before that, 38%. Well, the year before that, 40, like that's. Jewel gets to her spot. She pulls up real well. And so it is very interesting that that's dropped so, so deeply. But she is shooting right now 41% from 3, which was significantly better than last year. And that was the problem. Right.

[Ben Pickman]

And I was going to say, like that is kind of the key split on the offensive end. If you look at that shooting number, like she was shooting high 20s last year, which I think was her quarter prior career low. But when the Las Vegas Aces acquired her, like they didn't just want to acquire a three point shooter who's going to stand on the wing and shoot threes. Like that's the whole thing about what you're saying is, you know, like they want a player who can more holistically impact the game on the offensive end of the floor. And, you know, we know she can have success from, you know, inside the arc and so we just haven't seen that from her so far, as you're saying. And yeah, I should say the mark she had last year in Seattle, lowest mark from three from her since her rookie season. So it's been a long way since then.

[Zena Caida]

Exactly. So six games in. You know, we're not making this a declaration that things are over, but it's something that has stood out in terms of the new faces and new places.

[Sabrina Merchant]

So.

[Zena Caida]

All right, I like our numbers. Any special call out? I want to call out the Valkyries expansion draft players. They are standing out, they are fighting. People are interested in the way that they are battling with some really good teams in New York. Minnesota. Veronica Burton is one that really pops to mind. Known for defense and now has to be one of the number one offensive options in Golden State. Very much a standout for me from that regard. Anything from you guys?

[Sabrina Merchant]

I like Maisha Heinz Allen in Dallas. You know, it's a lot of, a lot of things to sort out there, but I think she's got a bigger role and sort of starting to assert why she got such a good contract during the off season. You know, she's been a studying presence for them in that front court. So it's been fun to watch her sort of, I don't know, try to try to get things in order.

[Zena Caida]

I loved her interview with Angel Gray the other day. Like her just kind of laughing through. We just want to make sure we know what we're all doing, we're on the same page type of thing. She seems like a really great vet to have in your crew. What about you, Ben?

[Ben Pickman]

I mean, the other name that I've kind of been watching, we've talked about it in spurts, is Dewana Bonner, who I think very much is still trying to figure out her role and how she fits on this Indiana Fever team. She started the first three games of the season. She's come off the bench in their ensuing four games. She scored in single figures five and five of their first seven games and some of those games she took like one shot and two shots respectively, even with Caitlin Clark going out. Like her offensive production was better the first time that they played Washington, but it dipped again a little bit the second time when they ended up beating Washington. Is she a secondary ball handler? Is she a scorer on the wing? Who does she guard defensively like that Fit has not been clean so far in my mind and I'm just curious to see, you know, how it progresses. What, if anything, changes, you know, for a veteran who wants to win on a team that right now, you know, is not clearly clicking the way some people and in that locker room they would have hoped start the season and.

[Zena Caida]

They'Re dealing with being crippled as a team, like in terms of the talent, dealing with, you know, injuries and such. So great honorable mentions. I'm just circling back to we talked about point differentials during the Commissioner's cup and as we were talking about that I was like, who knows more about point differentials than European players? Obviously that is what they deal with in Euroleague and Eurobasket and all the above. And that's why we're about to talk about European players showing up in the W How can you free your team from time consuming office tasks? Amazon Business empowers leaders to not only streamline purchasing, but better support their teams. Smart business buying tools enable buyers to find find and purchase items fast so they can focus on strategy and growth. It's time to free up your teams and focus on your future. Learn more about the technology, insights and Support [e-mail].

[Ben Pickman]

As you've probably heard by now, we've teamed up with BetMGM. This season we'll be using BetMGM lines to make all of our picks and we'll have special offers for our listeners each week. If you haven't signed up for for BetMGM yet, use bonus code theathletic and you'll get a one year subscription to the Athletic plus up to a 1500 dollar first bet offer on your first wager with BetMGM. Here's how it works. Download the BetMGM app and sign up using bonus code theathletic. Make your first deposit of at least $10. Place your first bet on any game and claim your voucher for a one year subscription to the Athletic.

[Sabrina Merchant]

See betmgm.com for terms. U.S. promotional offers not available in D.C. mississippi, New York, Nevada, Ontario or Puerto Rico. Gambling problem, call 1-800- gambler available in the U.S. call 877-8-HOPE NY or text HOPE NY 467-369 In New York, call 1-800- NEXT STEP in Arizona, 1-800-327-5050 Massachusetts 1-800-bets off in Iowa, 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help in Michigan, 1-800-981-0023 in Puerto Rico. First bet offer for new customers only in partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino and Hotel.

[Ben Pickman]

Don't forget, if you haven't signed up for BetMGM yet, use bonus code TheAthletic and you'll get a one year subscription to the Athletic plus up to a $51,500 first bet offer on your first wager.

[Chantelle Jennings]

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[Zena Caida]

So at the start of the season, there were 33 WNBA players born outside of the US and that is up from 25 just two years ago. These players are making a huge splash, especially on teams like the Golden State Valkyries, where more than half of their roster represent countries outside of the U.S. in some cases, these players are electing not to play for their home country in the upcoming Euro basket because they want to be here. They want to be in the wnba, playing and representing their teams. Now it feels as if there's a generational shift going on because it was literally just last year that some players didn't come over because obviously the Olympics were happening. There were players that delayed their arrival to the WNBA because they were still playing on their European teams and leagues. This is changing, Ben, and you've written extensively on European players, but you recently wrote a piece about this and you're the expert here. You gallivanted all through Europe talking to folks about this and now you're back and you're here in New York and you know what's going on. So what's happening? Why are more European players flocking to the wnba?

[Ben Pickman]

Yeah, there's a few reasons, Xena, that there are more players coming to the wnba. And you know, I think the big one is that the global presence of the WNBA has just grown. The brand is bigger and from overseas a new generation of players is Seeing like these packed arenas, they're seeing the engagement on social media, they're seeing the increased ownership investment. They're also recognizing that, you know, maybe not this year, but in future years that salaries are going to increase and the league is just more appealing than it has ever been in the past. We should say that even as recently as like two or three years ago, you know, when I did that overseas project, which was also called no Offseason.

[Zena Caida]

Fittingly, I know, I was waiting for you to say it.

[Ben Pickman]

I wrote this story about why the W wasn't always the top choice for a number of the best players in the world. Right? And that was because of the financial investment. It was because of the role adjustments that they might have to make. It was because, like, national team commitments were so important. But already in just a few years time with this boom of the WNBA, like that is changing. Of the more than 30 players that we mentioned that you know, were born outside The United States, 18 of them right now are in their first or second seasons in the WNBA. There's this totally new group of players that are making an impact in the W, not from the United States than ever before. And, you know, the Valkyries obviously contribute to that. A new team, a team that has clearly put an emphasis on European players or recognize the talent that international players can provide them, veterans, especially even if they're new to the W. But like, it's not just the Valkyries. It's kind of one of the big points of the piece is like, we're seeing this across the league. It's not just in the Bay Area.

[Zena Caida]

There you go. And that's the thing is, like, there's also so many other players across the league that play for their national teams and they're making that decision to stay in the U.S. of course, the Valkyries have two players that have done that, and Janelle Salon and Carla Late. But there's more. And they're not playing in this very well known, important, seemingly tournament in EuroBasket. Right? This is the opportunity to represent your country against other teams. And that's a differentiator that we should make clear. Euro League is like the equivalent of the WNBA in Europe. You have your own program that you compete with against other programs, but it doesn't necessarily mean that you're competing for a country, you're competing for that program. Just like you would have the Golden State Valkyries, the New York Liberty, et cetera. Eurobasket is like a mini Olympics in Europe. In some cases. It feels like some players are saying that they are going and in some cases players aren't going. Like you look across the league and there's a variety of ways in which people are finding this to be important. Let me go back and play for my country. It feels like it is really important. But the response has been what?

[Ben Pickman]

Ben well, we should say that there's kind of a mixed response. It's a mixed bag this year of some of those players, even in Golden State, like some of the players you mentioned. Janelle Salon, she's going to play for French in Eurobasket. But Carla Late, who is making her WNBA debut this season as well, just kind of made the choice that, like, I want to be super present and stick with the Valkyries for this first season. We've seen that split also on the Valkyries in terms of Julie Van Leeuw, who is Belgian, she's going to play with the Belgian national team, her Belgian teammate and her best friend, Kiara Linskins, the center on the Valkyries is staying in the United States. In Seattle, Gabby Williams, Dominique Malanga, they're staying with the Seattle Storm. Whereas in New York, we have Maureen Johannes. She's sticking around in the US throughout the WNBA season after missing last year because of the Olympics. But her German teammates, Leoni Fibich and Yara Sabali, they're going to play for Germany. So there's just kind of a splitting. And for me, from the players I've talked to, it just comes down to like, do you want to commit to the WNBA team? You know, say like, we've made the commitment and this is an opportunity. I don't want to squander someone like Linskins, for instance. She's never made, you know, WNBA team before. She doesn't know if she's going to get another opportunity. So she's sticking around to play in the W as a result. Whereas like some other players, you know, they're just prioritizing in the month of June, their national teams. And that is something we have seen historically, right? Like, I remember even a couple years ago I talked to a player named Maria Conde, who was also a Golden State Valkyries expansion draftee. We should say she went down with an Achilles injury this off season. It's part of why she isn't playing in the W this year. And she was like, look like the country is my priority. And that is also historically the case for a lot of players that, like, they're naturally whether their national teams make it hard to come over or just like they didn't dream, say, of playing in the WNBA they dreamed of representing Spain or France or, you know, Germany in the Olympics. That was always the goal, not playing in the United States.

[Zena Caida]

So, Sabrina, there are some big names that are not going over. Of course, you're thinking about a Dominic Malanga. I'm thinking about a Carla late for France. There are major implications of some of these players not going to play for their countries. What's the impact that this is having on international leagues? And American players were very prominent for a long time in these leagues and now potentially not traveling overseas to play in the off season. How is that going to impact what these leagues look like? How they do, you know, the interest in these leagues?

[Sabrina Merchant]

Well, there's a couple separate ways to look at it. One, with the international competitions like EuroBasket, you know, with France missing out on a big chunk of its roster. Right. Like, that's obviously going to impact their ability to be competitive at this year's EuroBasket. And I think part of it is France historically has required its players to commit for a longer period of time before tournaments than other countries. Like some countries, you can just head in, like a week before the competition starts and they'll let you on the roster. In France, they require a little bit more commitment. And so that's. That's harder. Right. It's harder to skip out on so much of a WNB season. You think about somebody like Gabby Williams, who hasn't played a full W season since 2022. You know, she committed to Seattle. She wants to be here for the full year. And leaving for a month is really, really hard to do. It's also really hard for WNBA teams to account for that. You've seen multiple teams cut players who happen to leave for EuroBasket because they just don't want to be without for a full month. You know, you don't want to have a hardship player and then try to reintegrate. You know, you see Phoenix Mercury cutting Sepi Yuzun and the Minnesota Lynx cutting Marianne Barian. It's very difficult to manage all of these things simultaneously. And it's not like, I'm sure they had these conversations ahead of time, like, hey, you can be on our WNBA roster before you go, but we're not just going to hold a spot for you until you come back, because we still have a season to prepare for. So that's an interesting sort of wrinkle with the international competitions. I don't really know how they resolve it with Eurobasket because it's. It always seems to be a summer tournament, so it doesn't conflict with the European competitions that they have domestically. But like the World cup, as Ben has talked about, they moved their competition in 2030 so it doesn't conflict with the WNBA season. So that'll no longer be an issue for international players who want to compete with their national teams. Still going to be a huge issue in 2026, and we'll get to that when it comes. But I do think that FIBA is trying to adjust its calendar a little bit to account for the fact that a lot of its great players are in the wnba and they can't assert priority over the WNBA anymore. People are committing to the wnba, making it their number one commitment as opposed to these international, international competitions.

[Ben Pickman]

And you mentioned, you know, the 2026 World cup, and I do think it's worth mentioning here, even though it is still more than a year away, because that is kind of one of these big scheduling, I don't know, conflicts that is just looming. We talk about things that are looming, hovering over the season. The CBA is obviously a big one, but this 2026 World cup is definitely something that's come up in conversations that I've had around the league because basically it is this global tournament. It's basically not the Olympics, but it is the next biggest one.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Yeah.

[Ben Pickman]

Second biggest thing, like Team usa, the Americans usually send all their best players to play. Then in 2022, the last time it occurred, it ran from the end of September into early October. And the WNBA season actually kind of moved up its end date to account for this event. So the season, the WNBA season ended before the World cup occurred. The question now is, with the WNBA season being expanded 44 games, with the league being as popular as it is, you know, the finals of the past couple years have ended in mid October. So what do you do when you have a tournament that is, you know, slated to be in the middle of September next year? Right. Like, how can you kind of maneuver the schedule to make it all work? And like, what does that mean for player participation? Right. This is something, and I wrote about it, I think it has to be collectively bargain. But one possibility is that there's basically a WNBA hiatus for maybe 10 days or two weeks just before the start of the 2026 playoffs to account for all these players around the world, the international players, and also the Americans going back overseas to play in the World cup in 2026. And then that begs the question, not only about kind of participation prioritization, but like, say you're Brianna Stewart or Asia Wilson. Do you play for Team USA at the Fever World cup just before the start of the WNBA playoffs. Right. Do you risk injury? Do you risk fatigue? What do you do? Right. That's a really tough place for players. Like, this is June and we've already seen players have this mixed bag response. But I'm really curious with an event that is in September, like, that's a. An even greater conflict because, you know, can you imagine if a star player on a WNBA team rolls their ankle, say, in that tournament and misses the postseason and the WNB teams, like, you know, whole postseason run is shot because of it. Like, that is the worst case scenario for the conflict of this event. Again, as Sabrina mentioned, 2030 no longer will have this conflict because it's. The World cup is moving back to late November, December. But like we talk about scheduling conflicts, it's hard to avoid the 2026 one.

[Zena Caida]

Yeah. When I think about the 2022 World Cup, I do think about the epic run that Asia Wilson had, literally going from winning the world title, I mean, the World cup title, getting MVP and then becoming a Las Vegas champion as well. Uh, but she had to miss two games in the group stages in order before she even got to the World Cup. It adds to the lore of Asia Wilson, but it also is. You don't want to use that as a. Everyone's Asia Wilson. And. And it will have that sort of a perfect run where nothing can happen. You're absolutely right, Ben. There is a lot of risk that could possibly happen with that sort of scheduling. It's a great question. And let's bring it back. It's a little macro right now, but let's bring it back particularly to the league in terms of these international players, not necessarily the impact that's happening overseas, etc. That's happening for sure. But there's also an impact that's happening on rosters because, you know, we've talked about the Golden State Valkyries, but there's also other teams that have seen the influx of players from the, from Europe, particularly those that are already seasoned. Right. They're veteran players that are coming over from Europe are coming and taking roster spots. And I'm not saying taking it from someone. They're getting them, they're earning them, they're deserving them. But what happens in the midst of who's left, the rookies that are coming into the league, other players that might have been in the mix in the conversation are now out. What's happened, Sabrina, from the perspective of roster spots?

[Sabrina Merchant]

Well, I mean, this has always been an issue in the wnba, where there are just more players capable of filling roster spots than there are roster spots to have them. Right. And we see second round picks and third round picks essentially have no chance of making the WNBA out of the draft. And even some first round picks get cut before they can start a season. I'm thinking of like Abby Myers or like Maya Hollingshed, players who were taken, like, again in the first round and never ended up suiting for their WNBA team. And now you look at some WNBA front office is expanding their scope of, like, who can fill their WNBA teams. And in addition to the fact that we already were low on roster spots, now they're looking beyond the NCAA pool to fill their teams. And like, I'm thinking again about Phoenix, right? Where you have players like Lex Held and Catherine Westfeldt, you know, who did play in the NCAA system but have been out of America for three to six years and they've worked on their games in Europe and now they come back as veterans, kind of like professional veterans, if not WNBA veterans. And that might be more attractive for a team that's trying to compete than, you know, getting rookies in and having to acclimate them to professional basketball while you're trying to win games. So there's just a much bigger pool of players who want to play in the wnba. I think, you know, the Leo Fibic is the Bonica Koa Makanis of the world, right? Like, who have grown up with the WNBA as a possibility, as opposed to older generations who, like, couldn't watch them on YouTube or other things. Right. So there's a larger pool of players, like a larger global selection. And that just makes it even harder for college players directly out of the NCAA to stick around because they don't have the professional seasoning of these other players. And I can understand why you would want some professional veterans if, you know, the goal is to try to win games in the immediate future.

[Zena Caida]

Yeah, man. I just feel as if, remember when all those draft rights, all these European players felt like, I don't know, vague concepts of maybe they'll come over, maybe they'll eventually join. Now it's like, oh, shoot, they're here. We gotta make room. What's gonna happen? Before it felt like GMs were just kind of stashing it just in case it was kind of like, you know, nice to have in your back pocket. And now people are actually going through the pool and utilizing that talent. Well, if there isn't another call, Ben, for more roster spots and more teams, I feel like, this is the reason.

[Ben Pickman]

Yeah, I mean, I think it is part of the reason. But we should say, like, there's nothing wrong with just having veteran European players or even young European players come over and make these teams. Like we should want the, the best quality players and players to make an impact. You mentioned development and, and I guess the final thought I have on this all is like, I'm really interested to see how Europe continues to, if at all, serve as a developmental league or developmental system for the wnba. Because traditionally, you know, a lot of players go abroad in the winter and work on their games and they come back as better players. And we see that both for international players and also American players. I mean, Sabrina mentioned someone like Catherine Westfield of Phoenix. She's making her WNBA debut this season in her late 20s, having played abroad for the last couple of seasons and really worked on her game. We also see it from a more like European international player standpoint. Traditionally, so many of the best players, American players go overseas and that helps to push the product abroad forward. Right. That helps make players who, you know, Turkish players, Italian players, French players better because they are practicing every single day with your Brianna Stewart's, with your Nafisa Colliers, with your Maya Morris Taurasi, Candace Parker's, Diana Taurasi's, etc. Like all those greats are all playing abroad. And so if you take all those kind of players out, then what happens to European players who suddenly might not be pushing themselves maybe on a day to day basis? I mean, I have in this story, like an anecdote from Sevyuzun, who's a Turkish guard who started the season on the Mercury. She was saying, like, you know, she's been practicing against WNBA players since she was 16 when she turned pro. And Kayla McBride, who is a regular in Turkey, basically, like, has just talked to her for years and like preached confidence, instilled confidence in her that like you can be a WNBA player. Well, what if you don't have Kayla McBride to, you know, instill confidence in you? If you're an international player, then like, how does your career differ? So that's a really like, that is a totally separate but related question that, you know, as the, the game continues to become more global but fewer Americans go overseas in the winter, like what happens with the quality of players? We might just be in this like sweet spot period right now where everything is kind of coming together at one.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Time and just to sort of bring a button on that with like prioritization. The idea was the WNBA owners wanted to keep American players in the W stateside, you know, prioritizing this league. And it seems like even though it felt sort of unfair to international players at the time because they would have to leave their European seasons early to start in the wnba, it kind of has worked in terms of making them want to prioritize the W too, because they want to play with the best players in the league. Like, there was a player in Sparks training camp, Maria Klinikova, who plays in Russia, and hers is a little different story because Russia is no longer allowed in the Euroleague. But she can't play against players anymore. So she wanted to come to America because how else am I going to, you know, get to play with everybody? And it, it works both ways, right? Like they develop them in Europe, but then you also just want that competition.

[Chantelle Jennings]

Right?

[Zena Caida]

I think the only way that you could answer that question, Ben of like, how do you push yourself? Or what does that look like? It now looks like the NBA now. It looks like players coming up in Europe watching what is considered or has been deemed the pinnacle of professional basketball as the wnba. And you don't get that opportunity in practice anymore. It's like, let me get rid of practice until I can get over to the W and get that opportunity. Very interesting how this is all gonna play out, but if anything, it's just gonna continue to elevate the product. So I'm never gonna be mad about that. And yeah, it's forcing everyone to learn how to pronounce things in French and stuff. So I'm really excited about that. All right, don't go anywhere, y' all. We've been waiting for this game for a minute. Minute. We're finally gonna get to play it.

[Ben Pickman]

As you've probably heard by now, we've teamed up with BetMGM. This season we'll be using BetMGM lines to make all of our picks and we'll have special offers for our listeners each week. If you haven't signed up for BetMGM yet, use bonus code TheAthletic and you'll get a one year subscription to the Athletic plus up to a fifteen hundred dollar first bet offer on your first wager with BetMGM. Here's how it works. Works. Download the BetMGM app and sign up using bonus code theathletic. Make your first deposit of at least $10. Place your first bet on any game and claim your voucher for a one year subscription to the Athletic.

[Sabrina Merchant]

See betmgm.com for terms. U.S. promotional offers. Not available in D.C. mississippi, New York, Nevada, Ontario or Puerto Rico. Gambling problem. Call 1-800- gambler available in the U.S. call 877-8-HOPE NY or text hopeny 467-369 In New York, call 1-800- NEXT STEP in Arizona, 1-800-327-5050 In Massachusetts, 1-800-bets off in Iowa, 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help in Michigan, 1-800-981-0023 In Puerto Rico. First bet offer for new customers only in partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino and Hotel.

[Ben Pickman]

Don't forget, if you haven't signed up for BetMGM yet, use bonus code TheAthletic and you'll get a one year subscription to the Athletic plus up to a fifteen hundred dollar first bet offer on your first wager.

[Chantelle Jennings]

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[Zena Caida]

All right, I'm gonna hand over the reins to Ben here for a little game we call something in common. You got it, Ben. Let's go.

[Ben Pickman]

Well, we should say hat tip to our producer Tanika, who really has pushed us to do this. And I'm just kind of doing the the and the actual game creation on creating some categories and some names. So very simple. Honestly, I'm just going to throw out groups of four players and you just have to tell me what is the thing that brings them all together as a group?

[Sabrina Merchant]

Are we playing together or how does this work?

[Zena Caida]

Please let me play together. I'm not.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Okay, we're playing together.

[Zena Caida]

Please, Sabrina, I need help. The worst memory. My critical thinking is there, but it just sometimes lacks in pressure situations. So please. We're together, Serena.

[Ben Pickman]

We will play together. We got four normal rounds and I Got one bonus round if we have time that I think will be worth our while. So our first group of players, what do these four have in common? Veronica Burton, Sonia Citron, Caitlin Clark and Kennedy Burke.

[Sabrina Merchant]

I'm gonna write this down. Veronica Burton, Sonia Citron, Caitlyn Clark and Kennedy. Kennedy Burke. All right. Fascinating. Okay, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Iowa, ucla. So that's not it.

[Zena Caida]

Why do I feel like this is something to do with shooting? Because it's like.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Oh, that's a good one. Yeah. You know, they've all been shooting the three. Well.

[Zena Caida]

They've been shooting. Really? Yeah. Like maybe they're shooting over 40%.

[Ben Pickman]

40?

[Zena Caida]

Yeah.

[Ben Pickman]

I appreciate you putting a number on it. I was not. Definitely not going to accept they're all just shooting the three ball. Well, that is not correct, though. They're all number 22s. They're all number 22s.

[Zena Caida]

Oh, dang. Okay.

[Sabrina Merchant]

I'm terrible at jersey numbers.

[Zena Caida]

Terrible. That was, like, such a literal one. Come on. Okay, we got it, Sabrina. Let's.

[Ben Pickman]

We're keeping it going. Well, maybe it'll get a little progressively harder. Hopefully. Dejana Bonner, Katie Samuelson, Brianna Stewart, and Brittney Griner. Dawn Indiana Fever, Katie Lou Samuelson. Now Seattle Storm, Brianna Stewart, New York Liberty, and Brittney Griner with the Atlanta Dream.

[Sabrina Merchant]

I was gonna say they're all careers in Phoenix.

[Ben Pickman]

No, they are all parents. That is correct, Sabrina. Well, they are all parents. All right, one. One for two.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Different. Different ages, different numbers of kids.

[Ben Pickman]

Different.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Exactly. All parents.

[Ben Pickman]

Yeah, all parents. We're. We're gonna keep it going.

[Zena Caida]

Just cut my audio out of that. Let's get that. Yeah, there you go.

[Ben Pickman]

We are gonna keep it going. All right, next four. Jade Melvin, Aaliyah, Boston, Jordan, Canada, and Georgia Amore. I'll read it again. Jade Melbourne, Washington Mystics. Aaliyah Boston, Indiana Fever, Jordan Canada, and Georgia Amore.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Okay, we got two Aussies, but that doesn't help.

[Zena Caida]

Is. What are they? What's. What's Aaliyah's? What. What brand are they under?

[Sabrina Merchant]

Georgia's. I think Under Armour, But Aaliyah would be Adidas.

[Zena Caida]

Oh, that's fair. Okay. Okay.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Also, I don't know that Jade Melbourne has an American shoe deal. I gotta be honest. Well, I'm not thinking to Jade Melbourne.

[Zena Caida]

Yeah, right, right, right. Jade Melbourne.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Jade Melbourne, Aaliyah Boston, Jordan, Canada, George Amor. Well, like, we got a bunch of tiny point guards, and then Aaliyah Boston. So that is the attraction that is.

[Zena Caida]

Like, throwing me off. I don't know. J Balm's not that tiny, but if you.

[Ben Pickman]

If you want to hint, it doesn't have to do with their playing styles.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Okay.

[Zena Caida]

Okay.

[Sabrina Merchant]

I'm trying to think of what Jersey never said.

[Zena Caida]

No, that's not right.

[Sabrina Merchant]

So Leo was number one. Yeah.

[Zena Caida]

Yep. That doesn't work.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Jordan was a lottery pick, but Georgia was not.

[Ben Pickman]

It feels like we're gonna call time. They are all names. Place names. Jade Melbourne, a place name. Aaliyah Boston, a place name. Jordan Canada, a name of a place as well. And Georgia Amore, a name of a place.

[Zena Caida]

I hate that. It was so simple. And we did.

[Ben Pickman]

Just sitting right there. Hey, we're gonna keep it going. Round four. Round four gets slightly harder. Siya Rivers, Robin Parks, Rebecca Gardner, and Diamond Miller.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Okay, you got to think about me as a quiz master.

[Ben Pickman]

Rivers, Parks, Robin Gardner, Rebecca Gardner and Diamond Miller.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Okay, so kind of related to the last one. They're all like nature things, right? Like rivers, parks. Yeah.

[Ben Pickman]

Well done, Sabrina. Okay, well done.

[Zena Caida]

It is.

[Ben Pickman]

Names of nature. Names of nature.

[Zena Caida]

Okay, got it.

[Ben Pickman]

Very nice. All right, two or four. And our final category. This is a bonus.

[Zena Caida]

You're playing by yourself at this point.

[Ben Pickman]

A bonus. All return. This is all now former players. Last one, Diana Taurasi, Katie Smith, Becky Hammond, and Swin Cash. I'll read that again. Taurasi, Katie Smith, Becky Hammond, and Swin Cash.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Okay, so they're not all hall of Famers yet because Diana's too young to be in the hall of Fame. Becky did not play for Team usa. I'm thinking like finals mvps, but I don't think Becky ever won a WNBA title. I mean, we counting like her aces titles, like their multi dime champions.

[Zena Caida]

I'm trying to think literal too, but I don't know.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Diana Tarazi, Katie Smith, Becky Hammond. There's no, like, school connection because.

[Zena Caida]

Did they win NCAA tournament?

[Ben Pickman]

They all won something. They all won something.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Yeah.

[Zena Caida]

They all win a title.

[Sabrina Merchant]

They did not win WNBA title. Becky never did.

[Zena Caida]

I'm saying NCAA title.

[Sabrina Merchant]

No, no. Becky went to, like, Colorado or something. I don't think she did.

[Zena Caida]

Oh, that's right.

[Sabrina Merchant]

And Katie Smith, Ohio State. I'm pretty sure they didn't. Did they all win, like, Euroleague titles? Is that what we're going for here on this podcast?

[Ben Pickman]

That's a. It's a good question. Honestly, I don't know the answer there. The thing that they all won. I'll just spoil it because you're not going to get it. They are all winners of Sabrina and I's favorite NBA all star event. They are all former winners of the Higher shooting stars Challenge as the WNBA representatives on the three player team.

[Sabrina Merchant]

That's so good.

[Ben Pickman]

That is the favorite all star event of Sabrina and I. It is a defunct event during All Stars. They should bring it back in which a current NBA player, a current or former WNBA player and an NBA legend all participates in this like, like shooting competition. And that those are have been your WNBA players, some of them who have won. Sabrina, a bonus. Can you name the team names that those WNBA players won on? My guess is no.

[Sabrina Merchant]

No chance. I want to say Becky probably played for a San Antonio team, but that is correct.

[Ben Pickman]

Swin wanted on team Bosch which no one was going to get.

[Sabrina Merchant]

No, no, no. I did know that Swin play for team Bosch. Team Bosch is like the. The gold standard of the higher shooting stars because Bosch was so good at half court shot. Katie Smith, I don't know. Detroit, I guess.

[Ben Pickman]

Yeah, yeah. Diana Taurasi won it for team Phoenix. Katie Smith, Detroit. And Becky actually a two time winner with team Team San Antonio and also team Texas.

[Sabrina Merchant]

I was going to say there is definitely a team Texas in there.

[Ben Pickman]

Yeah. So there, there's your Higher Shooting Stars trivia for all those at home who love that competition as well.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Congratulations to Higher for getting the sponsorship name out there all these years later.

[Zena Caida]

At this point, congratulations to Sabrina because you played this game by yourself. So thank you, Ben. That was a lot of fun.

[Sabrina Merchant]

All right. That was great.

[Zena Caida]

We're gonna have to play this one again not only so I can redeem myself, but mainly because that was a lot of fun. So shout out to Tanika. I like this Something in common game. You will be hearing it again. Thanks, Ben. Well done. Okay, it is Friday so it is time to set our screens. Presented by BetMGM. And we have to take a moment to pay the bills. So let me say this. Make a fast break for on court action with a WNBA odds boost token. Use your token to get a bigger payout on a win. A WNBA bet. Okay, back to what we're talking about. What are we watching this weekend, guys? Sabrina, you first.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Well, we already talked all about the Commissioners cup, so I'm going to go a little off book here. Cameron Brink appeared on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune. So you should watch that. It's good. Yeah.

[Zena Caida]

Wow. I love that. I love that. I will have to check that out.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Yeah, it's on Hulu in case you'd find it. Yeah.

[Zena Caida]

There you go. Thank you so much.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Cool.

[Zena Caida]

I like that. What about you, Ben?

[Ben Pickman]

Yeah, I'll go more on the board here. I will be at Fever sky in Chicago on Saturday night, 8pm Eastern. A big nationally televised game on big CBS. A lot of interesting storylines and the second time that these two teams have met this season.

[Zena Caida]

Okay, all right. Well, I'll be watching the Aces take on the Valkyries. I'll also be covering them, but I'm particularly interested because the Valkyries have had you play the Liberty, the Lynx, and now the Aces in a row, and they've gotten better as those games have progressed, and I'm very curious to see if they can put it all together, start strong, close strong, and how that challenge will fare for the Aces. Alrighty. That was all, folks. Appreciate you guys listening and thank you guys so much for all the support in general. We appreciate all the text, the social media comments. Any single time that you guys support us, we are, like very grateful to know you're listening. Join us on Tuesday as we run down the major moments from the weekend and we do a little check in on all more movement. We're just gonna keep talking movement, folks, but this time we're talking about the NCAA and what's going on in their off season. Isn't that crazy? NCAA off season? Like, that's, that's a crazy concept. Um, before we go, quick reminder. Subscribe to this show wherever you're listening on YouTube. Whether you're listening on a podcast like subscribe, let us know that you're part of our fam. We want you to be a part of our fam. And as I mentioned, keep the comments coming. Send us an email, let us know what questions you have. We love to answer them. And of course, head on over to our partner Yahoo Sports Hub for more content. Sports.yahoo.com womens-sports on behalf of the Athletic, I'm Zena Keda thanking you for listening. We will see you you next time. No Off Season is hosted by Zena Kada with Chantelle Jennings, Sabrina Merchant and Ben Pickman. It's produced by Tanika Burrell. Our executive producers are Andrea B. Scott and Cassius Fleming. Our theme music is by Marcus Bagala. Monica Compton is our video editor. Shannon Ryan is managing editor of women's basketball at the Athletic. Jesse Burton is our head of audio and Tim McMaster is director of audio operations. How can you free your team from time consuming office tasks? Amazon Business empowers leaders to not only streamline purchasing, but better support their teams. Smart business buying tools enable buyers to find and purchase items fast so they can focus on strategy and growth. It's time to free up your teams and focus on your future. Learn more about the technology, insights and Support [e-mail] Hey, it's Paige from Giggly Squad.

[Paige]

Let's talk about an elite green flag being a cat dad. Temptations, America's number one cat treat brand, is making 2025 the year of the Cat dad and honestly, about time. Whether he's coordinating snack time with the meow schedule or just vibing with his tabby, Temptation treats make cat dads even more irresistible to their cats and to us. For more information about Temptations Brand Cat Dads or to learn more about the brand, visit temptationtreats.com and don't forget to share your own CatDad sightings on social we'll be scrolling.

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